BEN TRE

Southern Ben Tre Province with Cultural Beauty

5:05:32 PM | 20/4/2009

Ben Tre is a charming province of simplistic and charming people; another jewel in southern Vietnam. From the very first days of the reclamation, the people of Ben Tre at no time yielded an inch of ground or flinched when confronted with difficulties or obstacles. They have strongly fought against the oppression and exploitation of the invaders to protect their father land. Ben Tre has added triumphant colour and bravery in Vietnam’s glorious chapters of history.

Since 1862, the people of Ben Tre have joined their hands in the armed activities of the insurgent troops raised up by Truong Dinh, Trinh Viet Bang, Huynh Van Thieu and in the struggles led by Phan Ton, Phan Liem, Lanh Binh Thang and Phan Ngoc Tong afterwards to fight against the invaders. It’s not clear In the American War, Ben Tre became notorious for the Dong Khoi Movement in 1960, which was led by the heroine Nguyen Thi Dinh. The rebellion started the initial fight in Dinh Thuy – Mo Cay which then widely spread within the province and then whole Southern of Vietnam.

Historically, Ben Tre has been a flourishing place for many Vietnamese distinguished personalities, and mentors of well-known intellectuals and scholars and heroes who have brought honour to their father land. Phan Thanh Gian is the founder of Confucianism in Vietnam and the first Doctorate holder; and later Truong Vinh Ky (Petrus Ky) gained proficiency of 27 foreign languages and was one of the world's 18 most renowned scholars of his time. They are the people who created the foundation for the fondness of learning in Ben Tre. The Great names in the XXth Century such as Vietnam's first female journalist Suong Nguyet Anh and other names like Le Hoang Muu; Nguyen Van Nguyen; Duong Tu Giang; Ca Van Thinh; Le Anh Xuan; Nguyen Ngoc Nhut; Huynh Tan Phat and Diep Minh Chau… inherited this fondness of the land. Ben Tre is also the native land of well-known personalities nationwide. When the French colonists invaded the East and occupied six Southern provinces, a group of patriotic Confucian scholars vowed that their enemy – the “Bach quy” invaders from the East to the West – was in a death-feud, chose Ben Tre as their homeland and the place to raise up in arms. The famous patriotic poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu is one typical example of those personalities. In Ben Tre, the tombs and temples of the Teacher-Poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Phan Thanh Gian and Vo Truong Toan make a cultural heritage complex serving the activities of visiting, researching, studying and attracting both domestic and international tourists to Ben Tre.

The people of Ben Tre are very generous, charitable, hospitable, and respectful of talent. They are keen not only to inherit but also to promote excellent traditional values. In addition to the people, the charming landscape and special cultural characteristics have attracted tourists everywhere. Tourists can enjoy fruits, honey and other specialties of the provinces in different areas. Visitors can enjoy travelling by boat, the specific means of transport in Ben Tre. Along the Tien river and canals, there are groves of coconut trees and opportunities for tourists to visit coconut-candy-making, bee-raising and wine-producing-places in Ben Tre. Leaving behind the noise of the city, tourists can mix immerse with the peaceful life, the fresh climate and the simple working styles of the farmers through such activities like bailing, catching tiny shrimps, having a bath in the rivers, fishing and listening to the charming country songs. Visiting Cai Mon ornamental plants village, you can see artists who use grafting techniques to create fantastic ornamental plants in the shapes of animals.

The tourism of Ben Tre has developed in the simple and non-show-off manner. The land has retained its initial beauty of the orchard ecology. The cultural beauty of Ben Tre’s orchard ecological tourism has been built from cultural vestiges, specific architect works and traditional folk songs of the southern people.